Discoveries in Oil
by Nikki1212
Summary: Kakashi always knew that he would always be there for Sakura, even when she belonged to someone else. Birth AU
1. Oil

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

-O-

The first thing Kakashi notices is her size.

She's no longer petite and lithe as a woman of her position should be; her stomach is swollen and it is then that Kakashi accepts the truth he has ignored for so long.

Sakura is pregnant.

Uchiha Sakura is pregnant and Kakashi gives the couple a congratulatory smile even as he feels hope slip through his fingers.

They just found out, she tells him, eyes beaming and grinning so hard he's sure it hurts. She tells him they're only eight weeks along, how unexpected it is. She tells him she's already thought of names, has already pictured what her child will look like. Sakura shoots her husband an uncertain glance, grin wavering slightly, and then quietly adds that she hopes it looks like her.

* * *

Two weeks later, the council calls for a meeting at Uchiha Sasuke's request. He informs them of a new danger, of a new enemy that threatens the village, and makes valid points as to why he should be the one to gather information. The council eagerly accepts his request, all too trusting of one of the village's strongest.

Kakashi, adorned in his formal Hokage robes that denote his status as the Rokudaime, chooses instead to observe Sakura as Sasuke continues to speak to the council. She stands next to her husband, hand held protectively over her rapidly growing belly, shoulders squared and strong, and he watches her jaw twitch and brow furrow when Sasuke volunteers himself for the mission.

The mission is indefinite, and Kakashi sees it for what it is. He wonder if Sakura does, too.

As the Hokage, the safety of his people is paramount, and a threat cannot be overlooked. So he stamps the mission papers with his official seal and attempts to ignore the heaviness in his heart. He sends a chuunin with a scroll containing the mission details to the Uchiha household and Kakashi feels old.

Hours later, _much_ later, Sakura comes to him with tears in her eyes and begs him to send someone else. How could he not see that her husband is needed _here_ , she asks him. With _her_.

He tells her that Sasuke is the only one that can do it, and sees in her eyes that she knows it, too. She shakes her head, eyes glossy and whispers that he can't leave because _hasn't he been gone long enough?_

Kakashi watches the shaking woman in front of him, watches her fidget with the ribbon that wraps around her maternity dress before she draws her arms around herself as if cold. She lifts eyes the color of seaglass to meet his own dark grey pair, lips trembling, and whispers weakly,

 _"_ _How am I going to do this alone?_ "

He feels the most guilty then, watching her unravel and catching a glimpse of the insecure twelve year old he had taught many, many years ago. Kakashi stands and moves to pull her into his arms, moves her to sit on the cot he has set up at the far end of the room. He holds her hand in his and looks her in her wide, expressive eyes and says,

 _"_ _You will never be alone,"_ and he swears it because those who abandon their friends are trash and Kakashi will never let himself fall so low. He is dismayed to see that it only serves to make her weep harder, so he pulls her into his arms once more and lets her sob into his chest until she falls asleep.

He lays her on the cot and brushes short pink hair out of her eyes, hand pausing to caress the skin of her cheek. He pulls away slowly, shoulders heavy and returns to his desk where he then sits and watches over her as she sleeps.

It not much later when Sasuke knocks on his door, walking in with an air of comfort and familiarity and takes in his sleeping wife. He regards Kakashi silently, nodding in gratitude before scooping Sakura up in his arms. Sasuke faces his old sensei fully and inclines his head once more with a low, _"Hokage-sama,"_ and then disappears.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke departs on his mission a week later.

Status: Indefinite.

* * *

True to Kakashi's word, he does not leave Sakura alone. He makes a point to stop by at least once a week and he enjoys watching the myriad of expressions that crosses her face each time he pays her a visit. The first time he visits her, he sees sadness; but he brings her dango and she gives him a small smile as she takes the bag. The second time he visits her, she stares at him in bemusement but still accepts his hot chocolate. Confusion turns into exasperation, exasperation turns into irritation, irritation turns into mirth and then it finally settles into acceptance.

Kakashi is there for all stages of Sakura's pregnancy–even the ugly ones. He is there to hold her hair as she loses her battle against morning sickness, he is there to massage her swollen feet after long days at the hospital, he is there to hold her when she cannot help but miss the father of her child.

Kakashi brings with him the unusual cravings she has–the most popular being ramen and pickles–and is there when she heaves it all into the toilet. Kakashi is the one she angrily lifts in the air by his collar and screams at before she bursts into tears and envelops him in her arms. He is the one who rubs soothing circles into her back as she laughs through the tears and curses her _"stupid hormones."_

* * *

He takes her shopping for larger maternity dresses and offers her many compliments as she shyly models them for him because she had once told him she was afraid of being found undesirable. She laughs with a blush and tells him to stop lying. Kakashi chuckles with her, not having the heart to tell her that he isn't.

* * *

Sakura asks him one day if Sasuke has sent anything for her through his letters, as she had last heard from him 2 months ago. Kakashi bites the inside of his cheek and tells her that Sasuke has not sent any form of correspondence to the village in weeks.

She worriedly chews on her thumbnail, eyes grim as she nods and then smiles. She tells him she understands the importance of the mission and how busy he must be, and drops the subject.

Kakashi tastes copper in his mouth, the cool tang of his blood lightly coating his tongue.

Sasuke sends an update every week without fail; but Kakashi does not think he can bear the look in her eyes if he tells her that Sasuke has not asked for her in any of those letters.

* * *

The seasons change and Sakura complains that she can no longer see her feet, moans at the daunting task of putting her shoes on every morning. But Kakashi is always there, tying her shoes and walking with her every day. He tells her jokingly that she should get as much sleep as she can, as she won't have much of that in a few weeks. Sakura scoffs and swats his arm, telling him that though she may be pregnant, she is still a kunoichi and can go days without sleep. She had been taken off of the hospital roster a few weeks ago, and says that waking up early is the only sense of normalcy she has. She challenges Kakashi to take that away from her, and he laughs and tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Something flashes in her eyes when they make contact with his own, and suddenly the moment seems awkward–their bodies too close, the air too stifling. She smiles softly and Kakashi draws his hand back and coughs into a fist. She steps away and resumes walking, beckoning him to follow. He does, and neither of them acknowledge the faint burning in their cheeks.

* * *

Kakashi one day unlocks the front door to her home–using the spare key she had given him–and finds her examining herself in the mirror in nothing but her underwear. He stops short and thinks he should leave when she suddenly whips her head around to glare at him with red-rimmed eyes. He takes a step back and her glare crumbles, dissolving into fat tears that roll down her rosy cheeks.

 _"_ _Look at me! I am a whale,"_ she cries and Kakashi, the powerful man that he is, panics.

He doesn't know what to say, watches as she turns around and brings palms to cover her face as sobs wrack her body. He doesn't know what she is talking about, doesn't know why she is crying. He takes in her lengthening pink hair, the paleness of her skin, the roundness of her belly heavy with life, and the fullness of her breasts. Her hands come away from her face to scrutinize herself in the mirror once more and Kakashi looks at the impossible green of her eyes, the light dusting of freckles on her pert nose and the rosiness of her lips. And even though she is a crying mess, he sees the glow that people say surrounds pregnancy.

Kakashi doesn't understand, doesn't understand how she can't see something so beautiful.

He walks up behind her and places strong hands on her shoulders, the scent of her shampoo wafting into his nose, and looks at her through the mirror. And he tells her she is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He tells her that her body is a work of art, that it is a temple that is able to take life and give it. He tells her that she should not be ashamed as she has never resembled a goddess more than in that moment when she is most vulnerable.

Sakura looks at him differently after he says it, like she has come to see something that she isn't sure how to feel about, but still smiles all the same and turns to give him a bone crushing hug. Kakashi tries not to focus on the softness of the swell of her breasts pressed against his chest, on the fluttering of his heart at such close proximity.

Sakura leaves to get dressed, and Kakashi runs a shaky hand through his hair and curses. _Dirty old man._

* * *

Time passes, and Sakura no longer asks for Sasuke, but still clearly holds him dear to her heart. Kakashi refuses to tell her how Sasuke has still not asked for her in his letters. He watches as she struggles to get to her feet, observes the way she holds her back when walking as if it could ease the weight. Sakura teaches him how to give chakra massages, and he does it for her every night before she goes to bed. She tells him not to fuss over her so much, that he is neglecting his Hokage duties, and he waves her off with an assurance that his assistant, Shikamaru, will take care of everything and will send someone if he needs him.

Before she falls asleep, every night she asks him if he thinks she will be a good mother. Every night, Kakashi takes her hand into his own and tells her that she will be the best. Every night, Sakura falls asleep with a smile and Kakashi's hand in her own.

* * *

Sakura goes into labor a week later–water breaking in the middle of a picnic on top of the Hokage mountain. Shocked mint green eyes latch onto his own before a bubble of laughter bursts from her lips, and he can't help but smile. Until her eyes glaze over in pain and she groans. He leaps into action then, gently hoisting her into his arms and rushing her to the hospital.

Before she is taken away into a hospital room, Sakura tightly grabs onto his hand and hoarsely asks for Sasuke. Kakashi nods grimly and summons a ninken, tells him to deliver Sasuke the news of his wife going into labor, and joins Sakura in her hospital room.

Many of Sakura's friends crowd the waiting room, an excited buzz travelling through the hospital, and Kakashi feels out of place. He does not belong here, he thinks. This is not his own generation and he does not belong here. An hour after sending out the message, his ninken returns with news from Sasuke.

He is too far to attend the birth of his child, and sends Sakura his luck and regards. It is compounded into one sentence, lacking detail and justification and Kakashi feels angry. He walks into Sakura's room, where she is circulating medical chakra through her system in an attempt to ease the pain of her contractions. Her hair is plastered to her sweaty face, eyes hazy with pain but sharp in their focus. Kakashi relays the message to her, verbatim, and her eyes narrow.

 _"_ _He sends his luck and regards,"_ she repeats slowly and lets out a mirthless laugh. It is a sad, ugly sound to his ears, _"He sends his luck and regards but not…"_

She stops short, wincing in pain and refocusing her chakra to her womb and doesn't continue her sentence, but the words hang unspoken in the air.

 _But not his love._

* * *

It is Kakashi who ends up easing her through her contractions. Kakashi who rubs her shoulders and ties up her hair and wipes sweat out of her eyes as she practices the breathing exercises she saw other women do when she oversaw their children's birth. It is Kakashi who tells her stories of Obito and Rin and his team in an effort to distract her from her pain. He is the one who tells her of how strong she is, of how great she is going to be.

Kakashi is the one who accompanies her into the birthing room once it is time to push. And it is at Sakura's request.

It is not her loud blonde friend, Ino. It is not sunny Naruto, nor is it sweet Hinata with a child of her own, but Kakashi that she wants.

Kakashi is the one that holds Sakura's hand as she screams and groans with her efforts. He is who she threatens to castrate because he is a man and no woman should have to go through what she has to endure. He is the one who whispers sweet nothings into her ear (even though they are anything but _nothing_ ), the one who strokes her hair and encourages her to push _harder_ because she is _almost there_.

He is one of the first few who hears the high pitched wail of a new life and Kakashi feels Sakura's hand go slack. He looks at the panting woman on the hospital bed, and grins before brushing cloth covered lips on her forehead, brushing damp locks of deep rosette from her eyes.

 _"_ _It's a girl,"_ he says and she dissolves into joyful tears, laughs spilling from her lips and he can't help but join her. He can't help but lose himself in the elation of witnessing the miracle of life.

The doctor approaches them, beaming as he holds the tiny infant in one hand and a surgical scissor in the other. Kakashi looks at Sakura, and she gives him a solitary look, and he knows then what he means to her.

It is _Kakashi_ who cuts the umbilical cord, and he does it with such emotion that it brings new tears to Sakura's eyes because _Kakashi is a good man._

Her daughter is passed to Sakura's arms, and as she coos at the wonder that is her child, she looks at Kakashi and timidly tells him that she does not know what to name her. She had been planning for a boy, and was not prepared. Kakashi takes one look at the child; takes a look at the inky black dusting of hair on her tiny head, of newly opened eyes of obsidian so much like her father's–of the fire they once held–and he says,

 _"_ _Sarada."_

And Sakura scrunches her perfect nose, asks why on gods earth would she name her child _oil_ and he says,

 _"_ _Because she is the oil that will restart the flame of the Uchiha."_


	2. Flames

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

-O-

Sakura thinks that whoever said motherhood was a blessing was either unbelievably optimistic, or off their rocker. She does not regret her child; she cannot look at the too large eyes of her daughter and call her a _mistake_. The love she feels for this tiny human being that she made pales in comparison to the love she feels for anyone else. She does not think that she has loved someone so intensely, as unconditionally as she does her baby girl.

But at just a little over three weeks old, little Uchiha Sarada is proving to be much more than a handful. The infant is inconsolable on most days, fussy at best, and Sakura is torn between comforting her and dissolving into tears herself.

It is a silent night when Sakura finds herself awake at two in the morning, and she feels hopeless as she rocks her wailing child in her arms. She checks if Sarada is hungry, if she has soiled herself, if she has any reason to be crying so intensely. Tears come to her eyes because it has been a _long_ time since Sakura has felt weak and hopeless. She desperately coos at her baby, attempts to muffle the distress she feels at feeling so _useless_ , and wishes someone were there to help her—wishes someone were there to do _anything_.

She is struck with the thought that this must be what single mothers feel like.

* * *

Kakashi hears the crying from the streets on his way home from the Hokage tower. He passes by her house every night, discreetly checks in on the family to make sure they are doing well, and never overstays his welcome. Sakura invites him many times for dinner, but Kakashi feels as if he is imposing if he does. It doesn't occur to him that Sakura might be lonely—not really.

But tonight, when Kakashi uses the spare key she gave him months ago to open the front door of her home, he finds her frantically bouncing her child in her arms. Dressed in just a large shirt that dwarfs her frame, she turns despaired green eyes to his own and Kakashi feels his heart clench. She looks so small, so lost and desperate that he crosses the room in three large strides and takes Sarada from her arms.

It is the first time he holds her, and his unfamiliar arms cause the little child to pause and peer up at him with dark eyes so like her father's and yet so unfathomably different . He watches as her face twists into the beginnings of a piercing wail and he hurriedly rushes to calm her. He strokes her too soft hair and whispers sweet nothings and rocks her, the security of his arms and the safety of his presence lulling her to sleep.

Sakura sniffles once, twice, and then dissolves into silent tears, falling dejectedly onto her couch. Kakashi walks to Sarada's room, lays her in her crib, checks the baby monitors and walks back to Sakura.

He is silent, offering no words, and envelops her in his arms. She climbs onto his lap and he comforts her just as he has done many times before.

When Sakura's tears stop, she does not move her head from his chest and does not move from his lap. He does not move from his position on the couch, even when his legs go numb, and his arms stay loosely wrapped around her.

Neither mentions that the shirt she wears does not belong to Sasuke. Neither acknowledges that despite the many shirts her husband has left behind, she chooses to sleep in Kakashi's.

* * *

Kakashi visits her many times after that, always offering a helping hand. He does her dishes, sweeps her floors, sets the table as she makes dinner and Sakura feels so, so grateful. She does not begrudge him of his absence after Sarada's birth; she understands he has had many diplomatic meetings due to the upcoming Chuunin exams, but is happy that he is there all the same.

Sakura watches from the doorway as Kakashi blows raspberries at Sarada while he changes her diaper, watches him grimace as he pulls the dirty diaper out from under the baby, and grins back when he shoots her a familiar closed eye smile.

He turns back to Sarada, finishes changing her diaper, and tenderly brushes ink black hair from her forehead.

Sakura swallows the painful lump in her throat as she thinks that Kakashi would have made a great father.

* * *

The time comes when Sakura must return to the hospital, and she is standing in the Hokage's office when she is ordered to. The doctor in charge of the hospital in Sakura's stead has complained to the Hokage that her absence is detrimental to the functions of the medical facility, that her presence there is vital to the survival of many shinobi.

Sakura angrily knows that the man is simply feeling overwhelmed by the workload of being the stand-in Director of Medicine and doesn't want to do it anymore. She seethes with hands clenched behind her back as he continues to rat off reasons to the Hokage why she should return, even though her maternity leave was extended.

The Hokage listens to the man speak until he is red in the face and then interjects with a command that he leave the office while he speaks to the pink-haired woman. The doctor leaves with a bow, and they are alone.

"I can't go back yet," Kakashi hears Sakura say, and he sighs.

"I can't!" she protests loudly, voice frantic, "Sarada is only four months old, she still needs me!"

Kakashi runs a hand through his hair, and connects grey eyes with green and swallows at the torment shown in their depths. He tells her that she's been gone for over five months, that although the male doctor is being a coward, she is still needed at the hospital. He winces at the sound she makes; it is eerily similar to that of a wounded animal and pale hands clench the fabric of the green shirt she wears.

"But Hokage-sama, she…she is still so small and how could I leave her when…" Sakura bites her lip to keep from crying, " _when I'm all she has?_ "

Kakashi longs to wrap her in his arms and comfort her, but he is in his office where he is the Hokage and not her friend, so he fixes her with a hard stare until she composes herself.

He tells her that she will report to the hospital in the morning, that she will find an adequate care-taker for Sarada and that he expects her to understand why she must go back. Sakura nods, stiffly bows and walks out of the office.

The job of the Hokage calls for many difficult decisions, but Kakashi thinks breaking Sakura's heart is one of the worst.

* * *

It is a late evening when Sakura hurriedly walks towards her home the next day, intent on seeing Sarada and sending the babysitter home, when she feels the presence of ANBU in the shadows of her house. She stills momentarily, confused as to why there would be so many lurking in the trees, and enters the threshold of her home with a bemused frown. Her mouth opens in pleasant surprise when she discovers just why ANBU has taken a particular interest in the Uchiha mansion.

Kakashi is sitting on her couch, fan spinning lazily overhead, and feeding her daughter. Sarada holds onto his pinky with tiny hands as she sucks from the bottle, eyes serenely blinking up into his masked face.

Sakura places her keys and bag on the kitchen counter and begins preparing dinner. Kakashi walks in with Sarada a moment later and places the empty bottle into the sink. She wipes her hands on her apron, grasps her daughter by the face and gives her a kiss on each cheek with loud smacks. She giggles at her when her eyes squeeze shut, eyes opening in a silent laugh.

Sakura tries to ignore Kakashi's close proximity as she does so, opting to sweep lengthening hair out of her child's face. She tries not to deeply inhale the scent of grass and fresh air that he carries with him–tries to resist the urge to bury her face in his chest and just bask in it, bask in him.

* * *

When she returns home the next day and finds Kakashi with Sarada once more, Sakura thinks it odd; and when she finds him again on the day after that, and many after, she finds it sweet because that is his way of apologizing to her, and it is just so _Kakashi_ that her heart skips.

His reassurance by simply being there is something he has always done for her. He has always helped her, has always protected her, and Sakura feels something blooming deep within her heart that she knows will change everything.

She lets it stir, lets it bloom and grow and tries not to think of what it means.

* * *

She asks for Sasuke one day, bitterly remarking that she has not heard from him since the day of Sarada's birth six months ago, and Kakashi freezes in the middle of bouncing Sarada on his lap. The baby whines and clutches at his hair and tugs; he gently pries her hand from his hair and sets her down in her playpen. She gurgles and crawls over to her toys, chews on a stuffed puppy Kakashi bought her a few weeks prior.

Sakura chews her thumbnail and averts her eyes as Kakashi focuses his steady gaze on her face. He tells her Sasuke sends weekly updates detailing his progress on his mission, but delays his return until further notice as he thinks he may have leads.

It goes without mention that he still does not ask for his family–not since the last time. Not since he asked for the gender of the child and Kakashi told him it was a girl.

Sakura will never know of that letter, and Kakashi tells himself it is because he is protecting her.

* * *

Days later, they sit on the couch, mugs of tea in their hands as they watch a horror movie. Sakura insists on the genre, saying that with Sarada around she can't watch such movies without worrying her daughter will somehow have nightmares. Kakashi chuckles as she jumps at another predictable scare, and her eyes briefly flick over to glare at him before focusing on the screen once more.

He notices her mug is empty and takes it from her hands to set it on the coffee table along with his own. She murmurs her thanks, eyes still riveted on the screen. Kakashi leans back and smiles at the growing apprehension on her face.

A sudden scream from the movie causes Sakura to shriek and her hand reaches out to tightly grasp onto his own. His throat is unnaturally dry at the contact, at the feel of her warm hands and how small they are in his.

The moment has passed and she still holds onto his hand, face still turned to the screen even though her body is tense. Her eyes quickly glance to their conjoined hands, so quick Kakashi would have thought he'd imagined it had he not been observing her.

He boldly _(cautiously, shyly)_ threads his fingers with her own, intertwining them in a way he's never done before, and watches as a warm blush spreads across her face.

They stay like this for the rest of the movie, both hyper-aware of the feel of each other's hands and the strong beating of their hearts.

* * *

Sarada is seven months old when it happens.

Sakura hears the jingle of the keys in the door from the living room and eagerly picks her baby up to make her way to greet her ever-present guest.

They walk towards him as he opens the door and slips off his shoes; the smile he gives them that says, _I'm home_ , is so natural–so _right_ –that Sakura forgets herself and greets him with a kiss on masked lips.

The moment he stiffens in shock is when Sakura realizes what she's done and pulls back quickly. She turns around with a hurried apology and heads to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She doesn't see Kakashi raise fingers to touch his lips in wonder, doesn't see him close his eyes to commit the feel of her lips to memory.

She cries herself to sleep that night, knowing just what that momentary lapse in judgement confirms.

* * *

Cool summer days are rare in Konoha, and Sakura insists that Kakashi accompany herself and Sarada on a picnic for lunch. He acquiesces and follows the woman and child to a beautiful clearing surrounded by an array of flowers. She tells him that this is where she learned how to pick flowers as a child, that even though she hated the class for kunoichi, she has always loved the beauty of the landscape.

They swap comical stories of their days at work between bites of sandwiches while Sarada plays with toys Sakura has brought along. When Kakashi is done with his meal, he picks her up and tickles her while she screams with laughter.

Sakura watches the exchange with a grin, eyes soft as the cool breeze passes through her hair. She watches with a thudding heart as Sarada reaches towards Kakashi's face, baby-talk spilling from her lips. She focuses her attention on the picture they make: the warm afternoon sun spilling shadows over Kakashi's face, defining his features as the winds blows through locks of silver. She takes in the tender way he holds Sarada, the love that palpably shines in his eyes as he looks at her, and Sakura feels the tell-tale flutter in her belly.

Sarada continues to babble, her gibberish getting louder, and Sakura looks on with amusement as she continues to try to reach for Kakashi's mask. He chuckles as he brings his face closer, and then pulls it away before she can lay her hands on him. Sarada lets out an indignant whine, and Kakashi gives in; he lets her place tiny, chubby hands on his cheeks, feels her pat them and squeeze. She gurgles some more, babbles in a way that Sakura has become used to hearing, and in that unintelligible speak is a word. And when Sarada grasps onto that word, becomes aware of what it means, she repeats it over and over as she continues to run her hands over Kakashi's face.

Kakashi is frozen, heart beating painfully in his chest as he is once again reminded that the world is cruel. And Sakura's heart breaks, but simultaneously swells. Her sorrow is overtaken by the joy of her daughter's first word, and she reaches over to tickle Sarada and praise her for her first milestone.

Sarada continues to happily say, "Papa," over and over again.

But it is not Sasuke she sees when she says it, it is Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi doesn't visit the family much after that, his guilt stopping him from giving into temptation. He thinks himself scum for intruding on a family he has no place in, no matter how much he loves them. He avoids the woman and child avidly, only seeing Sakura when he absolutely needs to. When he does see her, he speaks to her only if he has to, squelches the impulse to ask about Sarada. He attempts to ignore the hurt in Sakura's eyes when he coldly denies her invitations to dinner, excusing his unavailability with paperwork. It's never stopped him from accepting her invitations before, and he knows Sakura knows it.

Kakashi tells himself that he is a dirty old man, that he is trash for forgetting himself and impacting a family so greatly just to satiate his selfish desires–his selfish love for a woman he cannot have.

* * *

Kakashi is bent over his desk one evening reviewing mission reports when his doors slam open and an angry Sakura marches in, fists balled at her sides. He notes that her beautiful long hair is tied back, bangs swept to the side and locks framing her pretty face–a face screwed up in fury. He calmly sets his pen down, folds his hands on his desk and calmly says, "yes?"

Sakura lets out an angry shriek, launches herself at him and lifts him up by the collar of his shirt. He doesn't avoid her grasp, doesn't feel the need to because Sakura would never hurt him. She shakes him angrily, demands why he's been avoiding her, and Kakashi notes the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Why do you avoid us?" she punctuates the question with a vigorous shake, "what have we done?"

He gently places his hands on her own, connects calm grey eyes with her own and she slowly places him on the ground. Her hands drop to her sides, eyes downcast and whispers brokenly, _"Why did you abandon us?_ "

Kakashi rushes to her, grasps her face in his hands and vehemently denies doing such thing.

"I would never abandon you," he says, because Kakashi knows he is a bastard of a man but he would never abandon those he loves, "I simply cannot go on living a life of dreams. I _cannot_ delusion myself with a life I cannot have."

Sakura's eyes narrow in confusion before they widen in realization and tears fill them once more. She hold his hands to her face as he wipes the steady stream of tears from her cheeks.

"We need you," she says, "Please don't ignore us. Sarada loves you, _I_ …"

Kakashi does not need to hear the rest of her sentence to know what she means and he inhales sharply through his nose. He thinks the world cruel once more for playing such a terrible joke on him, for dealing the cards of his life. He shakes his head, steps away from her and tells her that she does not mean it, that her longing for Sasuke makes her misplace her emotions.

A slap echoes around the room, and Kakashi holds a stunned hand to his aching cheek. Sakura stands before him, shaking with anger, and green eyes blazing.

"Do _not_ tell me how I feel, Kakashi," she spits, words laced with venom, "I have had _enough_ of the aching, the agony I feel at wanting something I cannot have because it is wrong. I will _not_ live another day of loneliness and misery; I _refuse_ to go through another _second_ of only getting a taste of what I could have if I just simply lived my life for myself and not another."

Kakashi is frozen, mouth agape under his mask, and Sakura's eyes soften. She takes both of his hands in her own, runs her thumbs over the silvery scars on his hands and looks him in the eyes as she speaks, words gaining strength as they go along,

"I have a husband, yes, but I never stopped to question if the love I felt for him was the love that was right for me. I have been pining over him for over twenty years, have dreamed of a life of happiness and children and love for _twenty years._ And yet, here I am, living a life of torment and uncertainty because I am just as alone as I was when he did not notice me. I have loved a man who has left me twice, who has left my daughter once and does not acknowledge her.

What woman continues to love a man who will always hurt her? A man who continues to impart such agony in her heart? I have wept for this man for over a decade, and in each instance they were not just beads of tears. I remember gasping for air, beating my fist against my chest trying to rip my heart out to get the pain to just _stop_. He could have skinned me alive and it would have hurt less.

And then I am faced with you, a man who is everything I could ever desire as a woman. You bring joy to my daughter, you light up her life in the way only a father could; and if Sasuke were to return, he would never be able to bring that light for he is darkness in all that he is. Kakashi, you have always been there for me, have given me the support and love I needed for my entire life and I am so stupid for realizing it now. But I need you, _Sarada_ needs you, and you are the glue that binds my family together. I love Sasuke, I do…. but it is a love of nostalgia, of memories and dreams broken long ago. Kakashi, you….you have my heart, but you also have my breath caught in my lungs. Each bone in my spine, each bone in my body. Every muscle aches and surges with you. You have so much more than my heart, Kakashi, you have everything it keeps alive."

Kakashi was rarely at a lost for words, but as he gazes into Sakura's earnest eyes, he does the only thing he _can_ do.

He rips his mask from his face and sweeps her up in a fervent kiss embedded with all of the love and desperation of a man denied. His heart soars when she returns his kiss, hands entangling in his hair and he wishes he could live forever in this moment.

Kakashi is glad that he has always believed that actions speak louder than words.

* * *

Sakura sends Sasuke divorce papers within a week, along with a detailed explanation of why she thinks he is not the man for her. She will allow him to spend as much time with his daughter as he would like, but Sakura will not be known as his wife any longer.

The papers return a week later, signed and approved by Sasuke. His letter states that he will visit Sarada for Sharingan training purposes, and it is all he has written.

Uchiha Sakura becomes Haruno Sakura by the end of the month, and she is happy.

Haruno Sakura becomes Hatake Sakura two years later and Sakura couldn't be happier.

Sasuke has yet to return, and she will worry about the repercussions of her actions when he does. But for now, she settles on leaning against the wall to watch her silver haired husband play with her toddler's inky tresses and thinks of the pitter patter of feet belonging to silver haired children.

Sakura hums as she returns to the kitchen, she has always wanted a big family.

 _ **End.**_


	3. Dragons

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **A/N: Hopefully this chapter will clear up some questions. It is the last installment to this series. Special thanks to bluefurcape for being my first ever BETA reader and helping me clear some things up.**

 **Summary:** It is Sarada who holds them all together.

 **-O-**

Sarada's earliest memory of Kakashi is from when she was four years old. She remembers a dark night, thunder booming through the windows of the modest home, and feeling terrified. She had had a nightmare, had felt like the world was ending and taking her with it, and she had awoken to the world crashing outside her window. She remembers that it had been her first week in her new room alone, and panic had filled her heart with childish fear of the dark.

And then Kakashi was there, scooping her up into his arms and whispering comforting things into her ear. He was like a beacon in the darkness, like an angel sent to abate her fears. His low voice was soothing to her ears, and when she had calmed, he had taken her to stand in front of the window while he walked out onto his bedroom balcony. Sarada remembers the wild beating of her heart, strong in its fear, and being reluctant to go anywhere near; but Kakashi had shown her how he could control lightning, how he could bend it to his will like one of the heroes in the stories her Mama told her.

Sarada remembers the chirping of birds, and watching in awe as he released it into the sky to light up the world. She remembers his smile as he looked down at her, a beautiful thing—a loving thing—and how she had forgotten all of her fear in the face of it. After, he had taken her to his own bed, had tucked her in with promises to keep the lightning far away, and had sat by her side stroking her hair until her eyes felt heavy.

Her mother's scent lingered on the sheets, and Sarada had burrowed into them, falling asleep with the thought that though her mother was away, Kakashi would always be there for her.

 **-O-**

Sarada knows she is an Uchiha, she knows because strangers on the streets always remind her. And though her mother has never kept her lineage away from her, has answered all questions she might have about her heritage, Sakura is not an Uchiha.

But her father was, and she knows that he could answer every question she could ever have.

She walks through the door to her modest home one day at 11 years old, runs a hand over old Pakkun's head, and finds her mother drinking tea alone at the dinner table. Sarada drops her blue backpack—the blue of the Uchiha, the blue she heard her father wore at the Academy—and fiddles with an errant thread coming from her shirt.

"Mama?" Her voice comes softly, her nervousness threatening to make its appearance before her.

Her mother slowly lifts stunning eyes the color of clear waters to land on her face, the child that looks more like a long dead clan than herself, and Sarada feels her courage waver. She had always been curious, always thirsty for knowledge, but she has never asked questions she knew could hurt.

"Yes, Sarada?" Her mother's voice sounds like the syrup that coats her favorite treats, like strawberries freshly picked and sugared.

"Why isn't my dad here?" Sarada's voice cracks in the beginning, but she gathers her courage like the pieces of a puzzle and looks her mother in the eye.

Her mother who looks as though her heart has been pierced by a kunai, who looks like the floor has disappeared beneath her feet, and Sarada wishes that she could snatch her words from the air and swallow them whole.

She watches her mother (her beautiful, strong, happy mother) push her tea away and slump in her seat. Her folded hands rest in her lap, her eyes taking in her daughter's blue backpack, blue high collared shirt, blue everything and the smile that appears on her face is equal parts nostalgic and sad. She doesn't hold Sarada's curiosity against her, she has every right to know about her father, but it doesn't make the weight on her shoulders any less heavy. Sarada shifts uncomfortably in her seat, unused to the sad way her mother looks at her, and Sakura sighs.

"Oh Sarada, I knew this day would come," her mother begins wistfully, "but I really can't tell you why your father isn't here."

Sarada feels anger towards her mother for the first time in her life that day, her fine brows drawing together behind her glasses, and grits her teeth as her hands clench into fists on the table.

"Why? Why can't you tell me?!" She demands, angry tears brimming her eyes, "Is it because I'm young? I deserve to know!"

Her mother reaches over and tries to grasp her hands, but Sarada angrily pulls them out of her reach, and tries to suppress the guilt she feels at the hurt expression that crosses her mother's face. She swipes angrily at the traitorous tear that has made its way down her cheeks and stares at her mother imploringly.

"I can't tell you Sarada—" she opens her mouth to refute her, but her mother holds up a finger in that way that will always make her feel like a child, "I can't tell you because—because I don't know why he's not here, darling."

Her mother's voice is the sound of a tree branch breaking in the wind, but Sarada's heart is the fallen tree.

She stares at her mother, stunned at the answer she didn't know she didn't want until she had it, but still feels angry. Angry because it can't be true, her mother knows everything, her mother has given her the right answers to _everything_ —everything except the answer Sarada wants.

 _Where do babies come from, mama?_

Well, Sarada, when a man and a woman...

 _Mama, how do they make crayons?_

Well, love, they take colored wax and...

 _Why is a kunai shaped like that?_

Well, sweetheart, the functionality...

 _Mama, why did my father leave me?_

I don't know, Sarada.

Denial and disbelief makes her shake her head, makes her push from the table angrily and shout that her mother is wrong. It makes her run to the front door, makes her bump into Kakashi on the way out, and it makes her push him away when he tries to stop her because _he is not who she wants_.

Guilt makes her stay away.

Kakashi is the one who finds her curled up by the same posts he had trained his old team by when they were Genin; she knows because her mother told stories about them. He wordlessly sits by her side, pulls out a book (not the dirty ones he likes because her mother hid them) and begins to read. They sit there for a few moments until Sarada's mumble cuts through the silence.

"Is she mad at me?"

She startles when Kakashi loudly shuts his book, looking over to see him gracing her with that smile she has always known, and she feels less worried.

"No, Sara-chan, Sakura's not mad at you. She just wants you to come home," he says. She feels relief flood her body, her shoulders sagging from released tension.

He stands up, comically brushing his backside from errant leaves, and offers her a hand. She takes it, and they begin to walk away from old memories. Kakashi squeezes her hand gently, and she reciprocates the action.

When they return home, her mother envelopes her in her arms and crushes her to her chest. She rains kisses on her face and though Sarada pretends to be embarrassed, she enjoys the affection. Kakashi watches from behind, and she turns to give him a smile before running up the stairs to her bedroom.

She pauses at the top, looking down at her mother who thanks Kakashi. She grins as he curls his hands around her mother's jaw, softly as though he has loved her forever, and brushes his lips across her mother's. Her mother who cups Kakashi's cheeks in her soft hands and pulls away with a tender smile she reserves only for him.

Sarada still hurts over her father's absence, but she knows that her mother's husband would always be there to love them both until he comes back.

 **-O-**

Sarada is 12 years old when her desire to know her father reaches its peak and she sneaks out of the village with ChouChou to find him.

She wants to know Sasuke as well as she knows the weight of a kunai in her hand. She wants to know of the legends that run through her veins, she wants to connect with him and know him as his daughter and not as a stranger.

She does not think about how she might worry her mother, does not think about what would happen to two Academy students crossing through Fire Country alone. She does not realize the danger she puts two clan heirs in her quest for answers.

When she finds him, she has stumbled into a greater scheme of madness. She feels afraid, because she is not yet a Genin and her training as a true ninja has not yet shown her how to react to battle. She feels overwhelmed, because she has been protected her whole life and does not know what to do. She feels excitement because her complex myriad of emotions has awakened her Sharingan. But above all, she feels disappointed.

Because her father did not recognize her. He had looked into her eyes, had made to run her through with his blade, and had only stopped when she announced who she was.

It was not at all how she had pictured their reunion. She had envisioned a loving embrace, a proud acknowledgement of her skills for being able to track him, a kiss, a pat on the shoulder, _something_.

But he had only said a few words to her.

"You have awakened your Sharingan," he said in a detached voice that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck rise, "Now I will train you."

Her mind raced, her ears full with the sound of her pounding heart and ChouChou's excited chewing, and disbelief rendered her breathless.

That's it? Twelve years of being away and _she_ had to find _him_ just for _that_? For a cold dismissal and apparent interest only in her eyes? No _how are you_ , no _I missed you_ , nothing.

And that's when Sarada knew that her fairytale reunion would never happen. That her mother had every reason to keep her away from something so hurtful.

Her back straightened, and she leveled a glare cold enough to make him pause, "No. I don't want you to train me. I can find someone else."

He chuckled at that, not altogether cruel, but not full of humor either.

"Ah yes, Kakashi is your mother's husband," he drawled bitterly, as though it was her mother's fault that he was alone.

Sarada opened her mouth to respond, but was cut short by the sound of a tree falling, was rendered speechless at the sight of a cloaked man who oozed such evil chakra that her legs felt boneless.

He came at ChouChou first, intent on destroying the weakest link, and Sarada mindlessly threw herself in front of her friend. She pulled out a kunai to brace herself against the impact, but the only impact she felt was that of her father's arm wrapping around her waist to launch her and her friend to safety.

She lands on her rear, gazing astonished at her father's back, and she would never forget the look he gave her from over his shoulder.

"You are the heir to the Uchiha," his voice was frigid winds in an Arctic tundra, it was thunder on a frighteningly dark, stormy night, "Act like it."

And then he was gone to fight their enemy.

She shook off the pain she felt in her heart and set her sights on the multiple clones who stood around the small clearing Sasuke left her in. She swallowed the fear, activated her new Sharingan, and with one last glance at ChouChou, the two of them began to fight for their lives.

Sarada had just begun to feel tired and helpless when the Earth began to shake beneath their feet. All combatants turned and looked to the west where trees began to topple over like blocks set in a line, and Sarada felt elation jolt her body like electricity.

She looked over at ChouChou who wore the same expression of relief, and when she looked back towards the west, they were in front of her.

Her Mama...and her Papa.

Sakura and Kakashi.

Because Sarada realized in that moment that parents, if they love you, will hold you up safely, above the swirling waters, and keep you from drowning. Parents would love you, would endure for you, and would always be there. And though she wanted so deeply for Sasuke to be _"Papa,"_ he would always be " _Father_."

Her mother (her strong, beautiful, _legendary_ mother) stood in front of Kakashi, glowing hands balled into fists, with eyes of blazing green locked onto still enemies. And Kakashi (strong, doting, loving, _legendary_ Kakashi) stood slightly behind her, Sharingan swirling beside an eye the color of a tumultuous sea.

"Sarada, ChouChou, come," his voice was the sound of hammers beating against rock, of a Chidori lighting up the sky.

She and ChouChou scurry behind her two greatest protectors, and watch from behind strong backs the way the enemy's eyes shift from adult to adult. Sarada watches at the way the man sets his eyes on her father—Sasuke—and sees how he has decided that the man with one arm would be the easiest to kill in the face of two more legends.

And though Sarada thinks she hates her father (but she never could, because she is her mother's child and could never _hate_ Sasuke), she feels a small measure of pride for the way he proves to be an equal—if not greater—combatant. Because _that_ is the blood that runs through her veins, she is an Uchiha.

She feels her mother's chakra roll over them in waves, angry in a way that she has never felt before. But she is not afraid, because Kakashi has dispatched two bunshin to stand behind the two girls, and she feels the warm weight of the bunshin's hand on her shoulder.

Sarada blinks and finds that her mother has joined the fray. She is a flurry of cherry blossoms in the wind, she is an earthquake, a force of nature and terrifying. Sarada feels an insurmountable amount of pride for her mother's strength; because _that_ is the blood that runs through her veins, she is a Haruno.

Sakura fights by Sasuke, moving in tandem but so awkwardly that it belies their unfamiliarity with each other. And Sarada wants to cry; because _how_ many times had she dreamed of this moment? How many times had she prayed at the shrines that she would see her mother and father standing together and loving her?

But she sees the way her mother's brow furrows over her angry eyes when she glances at Sasuke, sees how she can't bear to look at him, and she knows that her dreams will never come true.

Kakashi tenses in front of her, and Sarada peeks from behind him to see that her father has pushed Sakura away to take over the fight. She watches how Kakashi tracks Sakura's movements, sees the relief in his eyes when she makes their way towards them, knowing that Sasuke would be the one to destroy the enemy.

Sarada wonders then if her prayers had been answered in another, more obvious, way.

The battle is over after a few moments, and Sasuke makes his way towards them. Both her mother and Kakashi tense, and then relax when Sasuke averts his eyes.

"I will return to the village," he says, "I have to speak to Naruto."

And then he is walking away from them, away from her, and Sarada misses the way her mother glances at her and then cuts angry eyes to her father's back.

Sakura walks over to him briskly, grasps him by the shoulder and spins him around to whisper some angry words. They look back at her, then at each other, and Sasuke nods before her mother begins to walk back to them.

Sarada looks up at Kakashi in askance, and he merely smiles, ruffles her hair and says, "Let's go home, Sarada."

They make their way through the trees, all five of them, and Sasuke travels slightly ahead. As she watches his back move farther and farther away from her, she makes peace with the fact that her father would always be too far to reach.

But she looks at the grey haired man beside her, the man who has been a reassuring constant in her life, and knows that while Sasuke may forever evade her grasp, Kakashi would always be within arms distance.

 **-O-**

Sarada walks through her mother's garden, intent on watering Mr. Ukki, when angry voices reach her ears.

She creeps closer to the commotion, but stops short at the sight of her mother and her father speaking in furious, hushed tones. She pauses, it is more like her mother speaking and Sasuke merely listening; so she quickly hides behind a tree, hoping that they haven't seen her, but by the rush of her mother's words, she knows that they haven't.

She strains her ears and focuses on words, shutting her eyes to free her senses.

"Twelve years, Sasuke," Sakura's voice breaks, her feelings laid bare for all to see, "is a long time to stay away."

Sarada's heart stops, her breath frozen in her chest as she realizes the subject of their conversation. Here is where she will know the reason for her parent's separation, for her father's absence, and she feels a small amount of excitement.

Her excitement gives way to dread when Sasuke scoffs; it is an angry sound, so unlike the detached man she had met days before.

"It doesn't seem like you've needed me, Sakura," the way he says it is a mockery of her name, and Sarada bristles.

It seems as though her mother has done the same because her next words are said through clenched teeth, "And what did you expect me to do, Sasuke? Wait?"

"You've waited for me before, Sakura," he says, as if it were something so obvious that Sakura would be stupid to forget.

"Yes, I have," she says slowly, like it pains her to admit the fact and Sarada can picture the pleased smile that crosses her father's lips. Even if she's never _seen_ him smile.

"But I had waited for you for over ten years, Sasuke," Sakura's voice is strong, imploring him to understand, "I couldn't wait anymore. I was alone, and I had to live for myself and not for you, Sasuke!"

"So you decide to find comfort in the arms of our former teacher," Sasuke's anger is muted, as if he's trying to contain it and Sarada clenches her shirt between trembling fingers.

"Sasuke, loving you was like being held underwater, like my world started with you and ended each time you left. I couldn't do it anymore! _What were you even doing for all this time?_ "

"I had a mission, Sakura, you _know_ that. I was not done atoning for my sins, I—"

"You were supposed to stay," and her mother's voice is a cacophony of long buried emotions, of longing and pain and old heart break. Because Sasuke has spent over twelve years trying to fix what he had broken, and in doing so he left the one person who would always forgive him.

Her father says nothing, and so her mother continues bitterly, "I was pregnant and you were supposed to stay. But you left me, you left her, because we weren't enough for you."

"You had nothing to do with my sins. I couldn't stay for you when there was still a threat to our village out there."

Sarada's throat feels tight, like being in the presence of such emotion was not worth knowing the answers to her questions.

"If not for me, then for her, Sasuke," Sakura says softly, and Sarada hears a rustle of clothing and when she peeks from behind the tree, she sees her mother holding onto her father's hand, tracing the lines of his palm.

"I loved you."

And it is all Sasuke says, and the tear that flows down her mother's face mirrors her own.

"I know Sasuke, and I loved you too," she says so softly that Sarada almost doesn't hear her, "but it wasn't the love I feel for him."

Sasuke snatches his hand back in distaste, turning away from her.

"He was there when you weren't, he loves me the way you _can't_ , and I never have to worry if he will ever leave me," Sakura finishes strongly but gasps when Sasuke rushes forward to grasp her shoulders.

"Do you know what it did to me, Sakura," he begins through gritted teeth, "when the first word I received from my wife in over two years was to say that she's leaving me?"

Sarada gasps because she was not privy to those facts, and Sakura pushes Sasuke away.

"Don't play victim with _me_ , Sasuke," she spits, "You wrote to Kakashi every week and never asked for me or your daughter. You weren't even there for her birth!"

"You could have written me!"

 _"Why?!"_

Her shrill question is met with silence, and she laughs humorlessly, bitterly. It is an ugly sound that Sarada does not want to hear ever again.

"Don't you see, Sasuke? I'm always the one reaching out for you, always the one begging for your attention. I didn't—I _don't_ —want to live like that."

Sasuke's eyes on his ex-wife are heavy, searching for an ounce of dishonesty, and then finally look away.

"Sasuke."

Her voice makes him look at her once more, look at the eyes he realizes he doesn't recognize anymore. Here is the woman he had loved, the mother of his child, and yet he did not know her. Perhaps he never did.

"Don't let her walk in my footsteps," her words are low, begging, "Please be a father to Sarada. She is the heir to the Uchiha and she needs you. Kakashi may be my husband, and he may love her like his own, but _you_ are her father."

Sakura smiles slightly and takes Sasuke hand in her own once more, "She is a part of you, too. And she is _so_ _like you_ , I see more and more of you in her every day. So please, _please_ allow her to love you the way she wants to."

Sarada's fingers are clenched so tightly in her blouse that her knuckles go white, holding her breath to better hear her father's answer. The answer she desperately needs.

"Very well, I will stay."

Sarada's breath escapes her the same moment her mother rushes forward to crush Sasuke to her chest. She thanks him over and over again, promising that he would fall so in love with his daughter.

Sarada stays hidden behind the tree long after they've left, and cries.

 **-O-**

She is 13, nearly fourteen, and considered a prodigy when she stops wearing blue and takes up the color red.

Her father has been training her ever since that day in the garden, and with his help and her step-father's Sarada has grown to be one of the strongest in her generation. She will be eternally grateful for her mother's intervention, because she has come to love her biological father as fiercely as she loves her other parents.

And she knows that, in his own way, he loves her just as strongly. But Sarada doesn't call him anything other than "father," because while he has finally recognized her as his daughter, she reserves any other familiar moniker for the one father-figure in her life that has remained constant.

Blue is the color of the Uchiha clan, but Sarada wants to honor her mother because _now_ she doesn't feel like she needs to be like her father to feel close to him. So she wears the red of the Haruno emblazoned with the fan of the Uchiha.

Red is the color of leaves during autumn, red is the color of her Sharingan eye, it is the color of her mother's cheeks when she tells her that she is pregnant.

Sarada feels elated, because her new sibling would be born into a home full of love, unlike _she_ has. But then she grasps that thought, holds it in her hands and sets it aflame. Because _she_ had been born into a loving home, too. It was in the faces Kakashi made on her pancakes with fruit as a toddler, the way her mother would fuss over her when she was sick, in the way they both made sure she felt loved and wanted.

So Sarada cups her mother's face in the palms of her hands and gently rains kisses along her nose, her cheeks, her forehead and tells her that she is happy.

Kakashi stands behind Sakura, nervous in a way that only she can see, and Sarada runs over and tackles him in a hug.

"Are you excited to be a dad, Kakashi?" she asks and he smiles so tenderly at her that it makes her breath catch in her throat.

He wraps his arms around her tighter and says, "Yes, but I don't think it'll be any different, I've been a father for nearly fourteen years, Sara-chan."

She gazes up at him, then nuzzles her face into his chest so that he can't see the happy tears that roll down her cheeks.

"Of course you have, Papa," she whispers, acknowledging his role in her life for the first time since she was a child, and she feels her heart swell, her mother coming to wrap her arms around them both.

The new baby would be born into a house full of love and she knew it because she has never been bereft of it.

The next day, Sarada has the mark of the Hatake clan sewn onto the sleeves of all of her shirts.

 **-O-**

Her mother is six months pregnant and enormous for Sarada's birthday.

She wears her long pink hair tied back in the way it always is, her face lit by the glow of motherhood, and she carries a cake full of lit candles to the table.

Her aunt, Ino, tuts and rushes over to grab the cake from her hands. Her mother squawks indignantly and puffs out her dewy cheeks, but Aunt Ino only laughs.

They set the cake in front of her, her name is written beautifully on top, surrounded by flames and circles and an image of Pakkun. She beams at Kakashi, who has an errant splotch of flour on his masked cheek, and he grins in return. She knows that it is her favorite flavor, because Kakashi has baked all of her birthday cakes, and her mother has always written her name.

She's blowing out the candles when her father appears, and the world freezes. Sarada watches him walk through the door, level steady eyes on her mother's swollen belly, and smile. While Aunt Ino cuts the cake, Sarada watches her father place a kiss on her mother's cheek, watches him pull Kakashi into a hug and hears him congratulate her parents.

Sarada hates crying, but she is her mother's daughter, so she cries joyfully and decides that this will always be the best birthday she has ever had.

Ino smiles softly to herself as she watches her beloved niece cry happily from the corner of her eye. She knows that Sasuke has come to terms with his failures, sees how he's been trying to be more accepting and forgiving of circumstances he can't control. So when he walks over to kiss his daughter and give her his gift, she gives Sarada a piece of cake, subtly instructing her to give it to him.

Sarada shyly offers her father a piece a cake, even though she knows he doesn't like sweets, and grins beatifically when he eats it all.

 **-O-**

Months later, they sit in her soon to be born brother's nursery, folding tiny shirts and tiny pants and her mother hums a lullaby from her childhood, using her bursting belly as a table.

They are discussing names, because even though her baby brother is due any day now, her parents have not decided on one.

"How about Takeshi, Mama?" She asks and Sakura hums in contemplation, then wrinkles her lightly freckled nose.

"It sounds too close to Kakashi."

Sarada sighs, choosing a name for a person is one of the hardest and most complicated things she has ever done.

She gives voice to a thought that appears in her mind, "Mama, how did I get my name?"

A tender smile forms on her mother's lips, and she places a folded little shirt in the basket beside her.

"Well, sweetheart, Kakashi was the one who named you," she says sweetly and Sarada's eyes widen in surprise.

A grin curls her lips, "So what does it mean?"

"Oil." Her mother chirps as she reaches for a mint green onesie.

"Oil," Sarada deadpans, because her friends have names that mean beautiful things and her parents named her _oil_.

Sakura laughs, the sound filling the room like the tinkling of bells, and says, "I said that too, at first!"

Sarada pouts, put out because why couldn't she have a name like Aya or Tsukiko?

Her mother leans in, tucks a lock of inky shoulder length hair behind her ear and says, "Sarada Uchiha, when said fully, sounds like Sarada-yu. And yes, that means cooking oil, but remember, oil is also used to start a fire."

Sarada stares intently as her mother goes back to folding onesies and baby shirts and baby pants while she speaks,

"And, Kakashi explained to me, that as the heir to the Uchiha, you would be the one to relight their flames."

Sarada's heart swells with pride, rendering her speechless, and her mother smiles.

 **-O-**

Later, Kakashi wonders why Sarada tackles him in a tearful hug and whispers she loves him.

 **-O-**

Weeks pass, and her mother is in labor, and when Sarada sneaks a glimpse through the window, she sees her in so much pain that it makes her feel sick.

Her mother is in labor, and Kakashi is on a mission.

They tell her that it has been a difficult birth thus far, that the only thing keeping her brother alive is the chakra Sakura keeps cycling through his body.

Her mother is in labor, Kakashi is on a mission, and her brother is _dying_.

She wants to run inside the room and push her mother's hair from her sweaty face, wants to squeeze her hand and use her recently learned medical ninjutsu to help her, but Aunt Ino ushers her away from the door and all she can do is cry.

Sarada sits on a cold bench in the waiting room, holding her Aunt's shaking hand, when the doors to the hospital burst open in a flurry of leaves and chaos.

And then Kakashi is there, bloody and frantic.

He grabs a young nurse by the shoulders, shakes her and disappears when she points down the hall, squeaking out a room number. Sarada rips her hand out of Ino's and follows her Papa down the hall, and stops in the doorway of the open room.

Her heart is thunder in her ears as she watches her mother tilt her head back and scream through clenched teeth, Kakashi sitting at her side holding her hand and pushing sweaty locks of pink away from her face with steady fingers.

Sarada watches him scoop her long locks and tie them into a bun on top of her head, watches him talk in her ear as her mother cries and curses and groans. She was always told that her birth had been easy, and she felt foolish expecting this one to be the same.

Then the doctor orders her mother to give one last push, and she does so with a cry that is not unlike the one she makes when she levels mountains.

The room is quiet as the nurses carry the silent child away from her panting mother; her mother who is openly sobbing, her mother who reaches out longingly for her mute baby.

Sarada feels her heart break, feels her knees threaten to give out from under her.

Then, a cry of surprise, and the piercing wail of a healthy baby boy fills the room.

Her mother cries out in relief, lifting herself up in a motion that only women do, and calls out for her child. Kakashi is beside her, crying unabashedly and kissing every open surface of Sakura's face.

They place her baby brother in her mother's arms, Kakashi gazing down at them like a proud father, and she swallows because she feels like she is intruding.

"Sarada, come and meet your brother."

Kakashi's voice jolts her from her thoughts and she rushes over to peer at the tiny being nestled in his mother's arms.

She gazes at him in awe; never before had she seen such a tiny human being, and she shifts nervously because he seems so fragile.

Her mother gently pets the snowy hair on his head with a finger then runs it reverently over his face, and when he opens his eyes, Sarada's breath is taken away.

They are a dark green she knows will lighten with time, but he is a mixture of her mama and her papa and she loves him fiercely.

"Oh Mama, he's beautiful," she breathes and she knows that she will protect this tiny, perfect being for all of his life.

Kakashi places a kiss on the top of her head, then her mother's lips, and then finally, gently, on the tip of his new son's perfect nose.

"Ryuu," he says simply and Sarada rests her head on his shoulder with a soft smile as they both gaze down at their family.

Dragon and oil, and it fits. Because dragons breathe fire onto oil, and it makes the flames of two dead clans stronger.

 **-End-**

 _ **And that is it! If you have any other questions, or if something didn't make sense to you, please feel free to PM me anything you might have for me.**_


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